A most shocking conclusion awaits you . . .

Gehenna – Where Death Lives – is a high-quality independent horror film, co-written, directed, and produced by longtime special makeup effects artist, acclaimed sculptor and creature-creator Hiroshi Katagiri. It is his feature film debut and it will scare the &%$^#@% out of you.

Gehenna – Where death Lives starts the Festival Circuit from October 2016.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Mysterious Japanese soldier in the opening sequence of Gehenna.

Opening scene . . .

The space is lit by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. It emits a subtle electric BUZZ. No other sound can be heard. The ceiling and walls are old, dirty. Under the bulb, a JAPANESE OFFICER lies on his stomach. He wears a Japanese WW2 uniform and holds a bloody knife in his hand. A pool of blood spreads from underneath him. He is in his 50’s. Eye sockets concave. Cheeks sunken. Glazed eyes are still, half open. Dead.

Beware the Bojobo dolls!

Bojobo Dolls are real in Saipan where Gehenna story mostly takes place. Not like voodoo where power is from pins – Bojobo Dolls’ power to cause curse-like effect comes from expression and mostly – how they are physically positioned.

What is Gehenna?

The word Gehenna dates back to the early Hebrew Bible – an evil place where children were sacrificed by fire as tribute to false idols – later expanded to mean the valley of slaughter, an accursed place, a destination of the wicked, and the final punishment of the ungodly.

In the New Testament, Gehenna took on the broader meaning of a place where punishment was endless, and was used as a metaphor for hell. In Matthew 5:29, Christ states that it is better to lose an eye than to be thrown into Gehenna. In summary . . . it is a very nasty place.

Citizen Hiroshi!

Yes dudes, it is true. I so proud I passed my final exam for U.S. citizen. Next time swear-in is near LA, it is official!! I celebrate with hot dog. And I work hard to learn expressions like “chill out”, “cut to chase already, what bottom line?”, and “hey, what you looking at!?” Not sure I get use to hot dog, still prefer sushi. But I can compromise – so maybe next time I eat sushi, I use fork.

The Budget Creature Feature

Ten Tips for Economical Horror Makeup and Practical Effects

Every horror moviemaker wants to nail their big effects—it’s a universal concern throughout the genre. But not everyone has cash to spend on lavish CGI.

And not every movie needs CGI—after all, nothing feels more, well, magical than an ingenious practical effect. So we asked Hiroshi Katagiri, a makeup and practical effects master, to show us the ropes on thinking cheap ‘n’ scary.

Born in Japan, Katagiri moved to the U.S. at 18 to pursue a career in special makeup effects, becoming a primary artist at Stan Winston Studios. He has worked as a creature designer on films such as Wolverine, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, Cabin in the Woods and The Hunger Games. He was part of an Emmy winning team for The X-Files, and has made several acclaimed horror shorts. Gehenna: Where Death Lives will be his own indie horror feature.